Much-branched perennial herb 14–36 cm. tall, with a woody, nodose rootstock terminating in a large tuber; stem and branches slender, terete or bluntly quadrangular, more or less densely furnished with long, whitish hairs which may be patent, ascending, or a mixture of both. Leaves sessile or very shortly petiolate, 0.6–3 × 0.4–1.3 cm., lanceolate to lanceolate-ovate, shortly narrowed to subcordate at the base, acute to subacute at the apex, moderately to densely furnished on both surfaces with shorter and subappressed to longer and patent hairs. Inflorescence sessile or almost so on the uppermost pair of leaves, greenish to whitish, shortly oblong-ovoid, (sometimes subglobose on the lowest branches), 1–4.5 × 1–1.4 cm., axis white-pilose. Bracts lanceolate, 4–6.5 mm. long, more or less densely furnished with ascending whitish hairs at least centrally, whitish-membranous except for the green midrib, which is excurrent into an arista at least half the length of the lamina. Bracteoles 5–7.5 mm. long, ovate-lanceolate, indumentum similar, the terminal arista commonly longer. Flowers finally somewhat indurate at the base, not fused to the bracteoles. Tepals all lanceolate, broadly hyaline-margined, the green central portion with three distinct white nerves; outer 2 tepals 4–6 mm. long, the midrib excurrent in a short often glabrous mucro, more or less densely appressed-pilose along the green central portion; inner 3 slightly shorter, more pilose about the apex, the mucro absent or obscured by hairs. Perianth apparently falling without the bracteoles. Stamens 2–2.5 mm. long, filaments glabrous; pseudostaminodes small, oblong to narrowly spathulate, c. 1 mm. long, minutely denticulate with no dorsal scale, quite glabrous. Ovary obpyriform, c. 1 mm. long, with a faint apical keel; style slender, c. 2 mm. long. Ripe utricle oblong-ovoid, c. 3 mm. long, narrowly truncate at the apex; seed c. 2.75 mm. long, oblong-ovoid, yellowish brown, shining, obscurely reticulate or almost smooth.
